Karakorum
Fables and Fairytales

We are getting some fables and fairytales from the band called Karakorum who released their second album called Fables and Fairytales – it follows two years after the debut album. They tell these tales over three long chapters totalling over forty minutes, so it is an album of only three tracks – I guess the progressive card is used in the press material, that is what I figured when I saw the tracklist on the backside of the CD and it was.

Zappa is an obvious inspiration, but progressive rock in general, especially the seventies kind. Not particularly original, a claim could be that they are paying homage to their inspirations rather than creating something brilliantly original. They do it well with strong production and good vocals, variation and depth – novelty is lacking but most people seem fine with such things, even the progressive fans although they should hate copycats.

It is a good album, kind of like a tale from fabled landscape and imaginative deserts with gleaming oceans in purple sunlight seen from a surfacing yellow submarine. Yeah, sure I am fabling a bit here but that is kind of the thing, they do it rather well but everything seems just slightly familiar, like that turtle – didn’t it beat the hare? If they had found some originality I would have been really impressed with this album but now I initially liked it but when hearing it again that sense of unoriginal ideas begun to surface and all of a sudden the parallels were everywhere – so it is good but not that interesting.

You could check this one out if you are a fan of the progressive stuff, there is no guarantee that you will like it but it presses the usual buttons so the chance is pretty good. I might have bought a vinyl if I could afford one, but I have the CD so it will have to make due. But enough fabling now, the conclusion is that the fables and tales of this band are pretty good.

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